Public facilities along the Kingdom's highways, such as toilets, restaurants and motels, are in bad condition and need to be improved, many travelers said. Frequent travelers, like Huda, for example, voice their disdain over toilets, which are most often filled with two to three inches of filthy water amassed on the floor. “These toilets are connected to the mosques and we have to make wudoo (ablution) before prayers. People cannot clean themselves properly and stand for prayers out of these filthy and unsanitary facilities, lamented Huda. During the nine-day school vacation many families packed their bags and traveled across the Kingdom aboard their SUVs. While they enjoyed the desert sceneries, sun-kissed sun dunes, mighty mountains and winding roads enroute to Riyadh and the holy cities of Makkah and Madina, they were not pleased to see filthy restrooms with standing water, broken toilet bowls, discarded diapers, and many unsavory sights along the highways. Most of these inferior facilities are located in gas stations along miles and miles of highways. Ahmed Malik said that the motels along the way where travelers can stop for rest on long journeys are also laden with dust, “My son started coughing minutes after we entered the motel and it got so bad that we had to check out and sleep in the car.” “The kids bug you to stop for a potty break along the highway. And then they refuse to enter the restrooms when we finally stop for one . You can't find ones in which you can relieve yourself without having to hold your breath the entire time or having medical respiratory equipment to survive the event,” says another traveler. Some families were in favor of paying money in order to have the comfort of going to clean restrooms where they wouldn't have to be bothered about coming out of them filled with germs. “Many countries in Europe and America take minimal charge to let the public use restrooms. I don't mind paying a riyal or two if it helps my family and others to avail sanitary conditions,” says Abdul Muqtadir. Whether you stop at a SASCO facility or any road side masjid with a petrol station thrown in, you are bound to have a tour of dirt and waste which spoil your holiday mood, according to Rashid Al-Malki. “SASCO used to be a good choice to stop for eating, drinking coffee or tea or staying for the night, but the conditions at SASCO have worsened over the years,” he said. “It is only this week that there is a rush of holiday- makers and pilgrims traveling (owing to the school's vacation) that we have not been able to maintain the bathrooms and toilets clean,” said a supervisor of one of the highway maintenance team of SASCO who insisted on being anonymous. “The women section especially is a problem since men go to clean them and they can go only early in the morning or late evening because of the crowd that use the facilities,” he said. It is not only the toilets that are in need of better cleanliness but also connected masjids and motels which tend to be smelly, dusty and rather dirty. “The bed sheets at the motel were despicable and the rooms smell like rotten eggs owing to poor ventilation, not to mention the minimal furniture which is sticky and laden with dust.” complained Said Khatija, a mother of two who promised to take Saudi Airlines in going to Riyadh. “I would not want the children to have those ordeals again.” An official at SASCO who refused to be identified said his company is trying its best to maintain and improve the facilities. An official at the Dammam Municipality informed the Saudi Gazette that that service stations and facilities along highways are the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation and not Ministry of Municipal Affairs. “We (the government) really need to improve the facilities along highways for convenience of all travelers, including foreign tourists and visitors”- locals and visitors who come visiting.” __
